The present invention relates to shelving and, more specifically, to an improved shelving unit having shelves with multi-component conical corner structure which facilitates the mounting on or removal of a shelf relative to upstanding corner posts without the necessity of initially removing adjacent shelves connected to the posts.
Adjustable shelving units employing shelves constructed of sheet metal or wire are well known and extensively utilized. They are particularly intended to be readily assembled and disassembled. For this purpose, the shelving normally utilizes corner structures for securing the shelves to upright posts. In situations where strength and rigidity of the assembled shelving unit is of significance, the corner structure generally employs a conical collar arrangement which totally surrounds the corner post to achieve a secure and rigid clamping engagement with the post. Such corner structure, however, not only makes assembly of the shelving unit more complex since the conical collar must be slidably inserted over the post from one end, but this corner structure also makes partial disassembly or rearrangement of the shelves more difficult. For example, with most known shelving units employing a corner structure of this type, the corner structure does not permit a bottom or intermediate shelf to be mounted on or removed from the posts after the shelving unit has been assembled due to the inability to position a corner structure in surrounding relationship to the post. Hence, the entire shelving unit must be reassembled.
A known shelving unit of the above type which has achieved significant commercial success provides conical collar corner structures which telescope downwardly over upstanding support posts, and conical clamping sleeves which are normally diametrically split into two pieces and which are wedgingly interposed between the collars and posts. This arrangement, wherein the intermediate conical clamping sleeve is utilized, has proven desirable inasmuch as this positively ensures a positive wedging and hence secure engagement of the shelf with respect to the posts so as to provide an extremely strong connection. The shelving units employing this intermediate conical sleeve, however, have still normally possessed features which have been considered undesirable with respect to the required assembly and disassembly techniques, the inability to add or remove intermediate shelves, and the general overall structural and functional complexities associated with some of the collar structures.
Multi-component corner constructions has been proposed which enable an intermediate shelf to be added or removed without initially removing adjacent shelves such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,750,626. A two piece corner structure at each of the four corners of a shelf permits the shelf to be connected to or removed from four supporting corner posts without the necessity of removing the shelving directly above or below in the overall shelving system. However, extreme wedging action and friction hold the two piece corner constructions together when secured to the posts and later separation for shelf removal is quite difficult and problematic.